Soul Taker's Redemption

by A. S. Hamilton

  'She can sense your true form if you relax your guard.'

  Vessa smiled and crouched. 'Hello Maya, my name is Vessa.' Her silver-white hair fell forward in a silky waterfall and she brushed it back as she rose to move to the lounge.

  Maya could not take her eyes off the guardian as she followed Vessa over to the lounge asking question after question, hardly giving Vessa time to answer. She plopped herself on the seat beside Vessa and when the guardian offered the child her hand, Maya took it without hesitation. The relief I felt was an unfamiliar feeling. Rarely did I worry whether a child I rescued would get along with their guardian, but this time I had been concerned and now I was relieved. I could still remember the feeling of her fragile neck beneath my hand, the desire to extinguish her spirit. I turned away from the two as I grimaced, I liked my life better when it was less complicated.

  Em

  'I just wish I could remember.'

  'You're not the only one, Em. When I came to I couldn't make sense of anything, my injuries, how I got shot, how I hit my head, who did what— it's all muddled up.'

  'Forensics will clear up some of it. Thank goodness they were able to establish that the bodyguard died of a heart attack— although that was weird, he looked way too young to have a heart problem.'

  My sister snorted. 'Probably doing drugs most his life, that puts strain on a body.'

  We were discussing yesterday's events. Tien had asked what I could remember, but like my sister and our colleague, Henry Gilman, my memory was very patchy. Henry, understandably, was taking time off. Technically, we should be on leave too, at least until we'd had our medicals and been cleared to return to active duty, but Jay had changed that. Stuart Evans, the taskforce leader, had made it clear that the only reason we were allowed along at all was because if they came across anyone at the location where Jay was supposed to be who would not or could not speak English, they had someone on hand. Stuart reasoned that if Jay was being held because she saw an abduction, then there was a chance that not just that abducted child, but other children were nearby and he wanted no delays in locating them.

  I was considered an advantage in interviews with Archmore's gang affiliates because, being white, they rarely expected that I could understand them, as well as speak the language. Because of Tien's mixed heritage, they often don't expect her to speak their language either, but my parents had wanted Tien to feel comfortable and had learned Vietnamese. People who can speak Vietnamese fluently are pretty rare in our work, so Tien had been restricted to specific duties and I was only allowed along out of professional courtesy.

  Tien chuckled. 'I tell you one thing I do remember.'

  I raised my eyebrows.

  'That move you did, coming through the window. Jeez, Em, do you have any fear? One misstep and you could have ended up on the wrong side of that deck.'

  'Or my butt.'

  Tien laughed at my quip. It wasn't quite forced, but we were both aware that the banter was an attempt to fill in the tense moments between now and arriving at the location where my daughter was being held. We were following behind the lead car, which had Riley Exeter, one of the people involved with abducting Jay, directing them. Despite that, Stuart had been explicit. We were to remain outside until the building was cleared.

  Tien slowed down as the brake lights of the lead car lit up. Its reverse lights went on, prompting a domino effect as all the cars behind it also started to reverse. In addition to the investigators, we had a tactical team as well as some people trained to deal with child psychological trauma. We didn't know how many children were with Jay as Riley was vague on that subject, and we didn't know what medical attention they might need or how far the location was. Nor did we know if an ambulance could handle the roads. We also didn't want to go without any medical assistance in case there were children who really needed it. Or Jay, I reluctantly reminded myself. That was why we'd brought a couple of medics with us, just in case.

  After backing up several metres, the lead car turned, seemingly, into the bush. It turned out that there was a pair of ruts, which Tien generously called a road. As we moved through the opening, I could see the reason the entry was so hard to see, a tree branch had partly snapped, its draping foliage acting like a curtain. All along the road there was evidence of more tree damage. Tien noticed it too. 'That's probably the damage caused by squeezing a truck through here.'

  We came to a stop while we were still surrounded by dense bushland. I saw Stuart emerge from the lead car and signal to the vehicle behind us. He walked over to Tien's window and she opened it.

  'Exeter says there's a clearing about a hundred metres ahead. You stay here. I'm going to leave two guys with Exeter in our car. Radio silence until I signal you.'

  Tien nodded.

  Stuart bent lower so he could see me through the window. 'I'll let you know about Jay as soon as we know, Em.'

  'Thanks.'

  Jay

  'What's your name?' I asked the young woman who had killed Quan and the buyer.

  'Malaya.'

  'Jay.'

  'I know.'

  I frowned. Oh, yeah, my oh-so-unhelpful angel must have visited her too. I wondered if Therion was the angel who had given all these children the dream they referred to, surely it must have been him.

  I'd just finished more completely covering the two men with the brown paper from the roll I'd found on one of the shelves. It looked like it was bought in bulk for packaging and there'd been enough to cover both men and still have some spare. The girls were now all in the opposite corner. Danny had them sitting about her with their backs to us so they didn't see the dead men— they certainly had enough fodder for their nightmares already.

  I went over to the door and spent some time listening, trying to determine if anyone was in the next room.

  'It's a hall, a little one,' Malaya said. 'There's an office beyond.' She seemed distracted; her gaze kept moving to the two men. Now that the crisis was over, I thought she was starting to fully comprehend what she had done.

  I moved over to her, saying her name to get her to focus on me. 'Malaya. You said they would 'probably kill us', who did you mean? How many people are in the office?'

  'None when we walked through, but the other times I been here, I been in there waiting and saw people come and go. It's never empty for long.'

  I gestured to the girls as I said, 'I need you to take care of them, while I check—'

  Malaya started to object, but I made a shushing gesture.

  'I promise to be careful, but if the office is still empty we have a chance to escape. It is vital you keep these girls calm and quiet though…'

  She was nodding and I gave her shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. She looked like she was only barely holding herself together and who knew what she would do if she encountered people in the office area?

  Moving back over to the door, I eased the handle down and pulled it ajar, listening as well as using as much of the sliver of gap to try and see who was in the next room.

  Nothing.

  I kept widening the gap until I could poke my head out. Just as Malaya had said, it was a short hall with a table at one end, looking oddly dainty with its vase of artificial flowers and a fringed, green, floral rug at its feet. There was a window, but when I shifted the curtain aside I discovered it didn't open— damn! No chance of a quiet escape there. Opposite the storeroom was another door. That would be the office. I could hear no voices, in fact, I could hear no sounds at all. No people moving, or machinery, or anything. I wanted to relax, to believe that it was still empty, but I couldn't afford to, not with the others relying on me. I didn't think it'd be possible to leave with all the children, but our little group could possibly get away and get help. We needed to move fast, though, before anyone else arrived.

  I went back to the storeroom, closing the door over without latching it by putting my back against it. Catching first Danny's and then Malaya's attention, I said, 'I think the place is still empty. What's beyond
the office?' I asked Malaya.

  'Warehouse storage.'

  'And outside?'

  'A yard, more of a clearing, really.'

  'You came in a car, right?'

  Malaya nodded and then got up from where she had been kneeling with the other girls. At first, she walked purposefully towards the buyer and then she started to falter, fear robbing the determination from her expression.

  'What—' I started to ask.

  'K-k-keys,' was all the young woman could manage.

  'I'll get them.' I moved over to the buyer and used my body to shield the girls from being able to see too much as I rifled through the bald man's pockets until I found his keys.

  Moving back to the door, I closed it over again, but did not shut it. As I did, I thought I heard a sound, but Danny and the girls had started to get up to get ready to leave and their movement covered it.

  'Be still for a sec,' I directed softly. 'I thought—'

  Suddenly the door slammed against me, tossing me across the room. I tried to look up, but my head hit the shelving and a wave of nausea roiled through my stomach and then everything went black.

  Therion

  [In the Hall of the Mountain King – Edvard Grieg cover by FalKKonE]

  With Vessa's arrival, I could afford the time to fulfil Bastien's request to attend his gathering. It would also give me something else to focus on instead of wondering how Jayden was faring. It had been difficult to leave her, but I had to place my faith in Aurealis. My master would not abandon her, thus, I should focus on my own responsibilities. After all, the guardian's arrival just in time for Bastien's event was far from coincidental. Rather, I believed it was Aurealis's way of rewarding the vampire for his aid. He had been of service to her through me several times, albeit, often reluctantly. It would not be out character for her to reward him in order to keep him useful to her. I informed Vessa of my plans and the guardian looked unsurprised.

  'Yes, I knew you would need to leave for a short time to undertake another task, but also that you would return as soon as possible.'

  Well, so much for my suspicions only being theory. Vessa's response told me that I had permission from Aurealis to go, but not to linger. Despite it being a task, I enjoyed the vampire's company. He lacked the judgemental nature of the guardians and understood what it felt like to hunt and what it meant to be deprived of it. He had also taken me in to a degree; he provided me with information and items in this realm that were useful to my survival, but also lessened the encumbrances of redemption. Most notably, he'd uploaded music and books to my phone. I'd not realised what a pleasure it would be to fly or undertake other tasks while listening to music. And reading both gave me a means to pass time as well as revealing details about cultures and their development I had not anticipated.

  I homed in on Bastien's spirit energy and shifted to his location. I did not immediately shift through to the physical plane; first I checked for threats and assessed the surroundings. Once I determined that Bastien was in the room alone, I shifted fully into the plane.

  The vampire was sitting at a desk. As I stepped through the plane, he looked up from the papers he was reviewing and laid down a silver fountain pen, which I noted was shaped like a unicorn. It reminded me of a vampire named Svaneh who had an affinity for unicorns. I'd helped Bastien free her.

  Bastien was dressed in an embroidered, calf-length, black coat. The dark blue shirt had what I have learned is a Mandarin collar. I smiled, Bastien was not one for a conventional collar. But then he was hardly a conventional person. His long hair was out of its familiar braid and draped over his shoulders, a section had fallen forward, concealing most of his face as he leaned over the desk.

  He flicked his hair back and rose from his seat as he greeted me. 'Aurealis has granted me the pleasure of your company, I see.' He gave me a little bow before sitting back down. Our relationship is not as formal as it sounds, he carries out these seemingly formal gestures in a rather roguish manner.

  'This is not your office,' I observed. I was assuming it was in some way connected to Svaneh.

  Bastien considered the room. It was spacious even with the long, wide desk of honey-coloured wood and matching armchairs before it. A crest with two unicorns on either side of a sword was on the front of the desk, confirming my suspicion that this was Svaneh's office. The crest was not an original part of the desk, for I could tell the desk was very old. Whoever carved the crest had done a remarkable job, it looked neither out-of-place, nor overdone. There were filing cabinets and bookshelves against the walls. A cabinet in the same style as the desk was behind Bastien.

  'No,' Bastien was saying, 'I am signing my agreement to abide by the code of this region. Lady Svaneh of the Court has graciously allowed me her office to do so, since it is her role to store and monitor such agreements.'

  'She is a Lady now! And within the Court! How is it that she earned this title?'

  Bastien's smile was more than a little self-satisfied. 'Because when I introduced her to the Court that was what I told them.'

  I arched one brow. 'Really? Quite a discovery that, to find that a peasant girl has such a heritage.'

  'Even produced papers to prove it.'

  I snorted softly. 'Of course you did. You probably forged them yourself.'

  Bastien declined to respond verbally to my statement, but the smugness in his grin increased by several degrees.

  'There is a reception in the main hall. It is, in actuality, a spring equinox event that traditionally welcomes in the time of festivals, but newcomers to the region in recent months will also be acknowledged,' Bastien explained.

  'She does well, then? Svaneh?'

  Bastien nodded. 'She now has a position of authority. She fills the role well, earning respect from her peers. She has found herself a lady companion and I think she has finally achieved contentment.'

  'Good,' I murmured, 'good. Her former life was one of suffering.' And she had gone out of her way to help me, exposing herself to not just death, but loss of her spirit entirely.

  This time, Bastien snorted. 'That girl has more claim than some to a peaceful life. She wanted to see you,' the vampire added, 'but she was called away to attend to some detail for the reception.'

  'Perhaps, then, I can wait for her return before we join your gathering.'

  'Do you have time?'

  Good point, I might not.

  The vampire read my expression. 'Aurealis is damn stingy in her rewards. A point I'll be sure to bring up next time I encounter her,' he said as he sat back down at the desk.

  'She already knows,' I assured him confidently. 'Although, I think, this time, it is less about her schedule and more about the protection of my latest charge.'

  Shrugging, Bastien picked up the pen and scanned down the page of the document before him. 'A new charge?'

  'A yulari. Fourth one I've seen in a short time. I think…'

  Bastien glanced up at my hesitation. 'Guardian duties, you think? Finally.'

  His remark made me frown. 'I still think about it. Taking souls. Untainted ones.'

  Leaning back, the vampire sighed as he considered me. 'When was the last time you actually did?' He didn't wait for my answer. 'It's been ages since you took an untainted spirit, Therion. It's time. I know it, you know it, she knows it.' Then something occurred to him. 'This new charge, will that—'

  I was shaking my head. 'A guardian has arrived for her already.'

  Bastien's eyes narrowed. 'Then why is she keeping you around?' He paused and then added, 'Unless she wants you to learn from another guardian. Is this new charge located around here, in this state, I mean?'

  'I do not know. It is possible.'

  'Hmmph. Interesting. Your new charge might be from here, Thomas asked me to move here, and then you and I have reason to meet.'

  Thomas was Bastien's 'son' as far as the vampire community was concerned. Bastien also considered himself grandfather to Thomas's adopted daughter Amelia.

  'Then,' Bastien c
ontinued, 'Aurealis grants me the favour of allowing you to be at a gathering where I want to make a show of power, clearly placing me in her debt.'

  'You think she intends I become an apprentice guardian in an area where I have connections, a source of support?'

  'That's exactly what I think. Come on, Therion, nothing is a coincidence with Aurealis. And it is a transition that is long due. You are ready for this. Are you worried because of the complexities involved when a guardian takes on a life-long ward? Because I can understand your hesitation there. The relationship, even when non-sexual, can become very intimate, but from the sounds of things, you will just be an apprentice, not directly involved.'

  'You are right about my hesitation, but there has been another development, one that confuses me.'

  The vampire put down his pen and turned his full attention to me. Strangely, I felt my throat go dry and I swallowed before saying, 'I met a yulari. A little while ago. The first of the four I mentioned…'

  Bastien's eyes narrowed as he scrutinised me. 'And… what about her.'

  'How do you know it's a her?'

  'I didn't, I guessed. Or assumed, I do not know why. Does the fact that she is female matter, is that the source of your concern?'

  I shook my head. 'Never mind. It is nothing.'

  'It is something. You would not have mentioned it otherwise. Did you need to protect her, this yulari?'

  'No. I was defending some light-dancers and she was there. She could see us. Me. We spoke. After the threat had passed. And then…'

  Bastien raised his brows. 'Then?'

  I found myself feeling reluctant to continue, but the vampire was the only person I knew well enough and trusted enough to discuss this with. 'I dream about her.'

  'Dream? Frequently?'

  I nodded, then reconsidered. 'Perhaps not frequently, but often enough. I've never dreamed about a person before. And this latest ward. A child. The one I believe I will apprentice with a guardian to protect. I like her. I do not know her, but I like her.'